Read the passage.I heard that Judith was going to the county fair on Friday night. This was my chance to casually "bump into” her. I had been hoping to speak to her at school, but we weren’t in any of the same classes, as she had skipped a grade. The school was so large that there were three separate lunch periods, so there was no hope of finding a reason to sit at her table, either. I didn’t mind the chase, though. It only made me more determined to come up with a way to talk to her. The fair was the perfect scenario.
Read the excerpt from The Red Umbrella. "They’re not going with us.” My fear turned into anger. "You’re sending us away, aren’t you? Like some of the other kids. How can you do that?”Papá’s eyes glistened. "Lucy, we have no choice. You know they won’t let us leave with you. Alicia Milian was able to get us some visa waivers for you and Frankie, but . . .”
Read the passage.I gathered up my things—my notebook, pencils, and laptop—and escaped to the haven of the coffee shop. There, wedged in a chair in the back corner, I could let go of the world around me and imagine myself in a million other places. As my fingers flew across the page or tapped on the keyboard, I made a world the way I wanted it to be. Other people went in and out of the swinging doors. Some sat down with a drink and a pastry on a small white plate. Some were alone, and some with a friend or two. None of them stayed as long as I did. None of them needed to be there like I did.
Read the passage.That morning, our class had started the day with art. There was a knock at the door, and our teacher opened it to the concerned face of the school secretary. They bent their heads in hushed whispers. When our teacher returned to the front of the class, she announced that we were getting a "free” period to make art using any medium of our choosing. She directed us to pick out our materials and then retreated to her desk, a harrowed look on her face. She spent the rest of the period alternating between scrolling on her computer and staring out the window.
Read the excerpt from The Red Umbrella.Frankie pulled my arm. "Don’t leave me.” . . .I reached out to touch Frankie. "I have to go, but I’ll try—”"Fine!” He pushed my hand away and slumped back into the seat.I bent down, picked up my bag, and walked into the building. . . . For such a large building, it was strangely quiet, as if even sounds got lost inside. The hallway seemed to stretch on for miles. The heavy double doors creaked as they closed behind me. I quickly turned back and looked through the doors’ narrow windows. My heart shattered. I could see Frankie’s hands splayed against the station wagon’s side window as I heard his muffled yell. "Luuuciiiaaa!”
Read the excerpt from The Red Umbrella. "But, Papá, can’t you convince them to give you another job . . . in an office?” I thought about how I’d never seen Papá fix anything around our house."No, mi hija. I’ve been told that I need to prove myself first.”"Prove yourself how?” Mamá tucked in her cotton blouse.He shrugged. "Show them I’m a good revolutionary.” He looked at me and Frankie. "They mentioned the kids several times. Said that Lucía needs to volunteer to work on the farms or join the brigades if she wants to finish her education. And Frankie’ll have to join the Pioneros group to learn all about the revolution.”"No.” Mamá put her hands on her hips. "I won’t do that. There’s no way I’m sending my daughter away. Revolutionaries taking care of her. It’s absurd!”Papá nodded. "I know, I know. They want to indoctrinate the kids right under our noses.”
Read the excerpt from The Red Umbrella."You’ll get an even better job, Papá,” I said, trying to be positive."It’ll be difficult, Lucy.” He stroked my hair. "The government controls all the industries. We’re going to have to make some adjustments.”"Fernando, I can work.” Mamá started to get up. "Take in some sewing. Maybe a little ironing.”"No, no. I won’t have my wife working. I’ll find something. Try to get some work as a handyman. See how that goes.”"But, Papá, can’t you convince them to give you another job . . . in an office?” I thought about how I’d never seen Papá fix anything around our house."No, mi hija. I’ve been told that I need to prove myself first.”
Read the two passages.Excerpt 1My teacher asked if she could see me after school. I waited in suspense as the other students shuffled out of the classroom when the bell rang. I wondered why she wanted to talk to me. I never got into trouble at school, so I wasn’t worried that it was something bad. My mind shifted to the composition assignment that I’d done. She had mentioned that the best stories would be published in the local paper. "Could mine have been chosen?” I thought in disbelief.Excerpt 2I went to my room as soon as I got home. I threw myself down on the bed and let the tears flow freely. I had failed the composition assignment so badly that I was in danger of having to make up the class in summer school. My teacher had given me the weekend to redo the assignment on a new topic, and I had no idea what to write about. When my father came to check on me, I pretended that I had already fallen asleep.
Read the passage.I came home from school and hung my book bag up on the hook in the hallway. I could hear the news blaring. I walked into the living room and found my mother sitting in front of the small television. "Oh no,” I heard her say, over and over again, while a steady stream of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Not again,” she said. I walked over to the set to turn the volume down so I could ask her what had happened.
Read the two excerpts from The Red Umbrella.Excerpt 1"Here, first let me give you this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out Mamá’s wedding ring."Fernando, you got it back!”Papá smiled and nodded. Mamá immediately slipped it onto her finger."But that’s about all I have.” He looked down. "I lost my job at the bank.”"Ay, Fernando.” Mamá covered his large hands with her small ones.Papá shook his head. "No, it was expected. It was just a matter of time.”"You’ll get an even better job, Papá,” I said, trying to be positive. Excerpt 2"Your mother and I have decided . . .” Papá walked over and put his arm on Mamá’s shoulder. She sat frozen in place. "We’ve made plans for you to leave Cuba . . . tomorrow.”My heart stopped."You and Mamá, too, right?” Frankie asked.My head spun. Leave Cuba? Tomorrow?"No, Frankie, your mother and I . . .”"They’re not going with us.” My fear turned into anger. "You’re sending us away, aren’t you? Like some of the other kids. How can you do that?”
Read the passage.I sat outside on the blisteringly hot front steps. We were spending the summer in a rental because we were in the process of moving. I was miserable. I didn’t want to move, and this house was not air-conditioned. This also happened to be the hottest July on record. It was hard to decide if it was hotter inside or out. I settled on outside, resting on the faint hope that I might catch a rare breeze. I was troubled that my mother took the new job. She could have let us stay in the old house until she closed on the new one, but she had wanted us to stay together as a family. As sweat ran down my face and my back, I felt fury rising up within me. Maybe it was selfish of me not to want to move. Our old house was perfect. Our old house felt safe and comfortable. Here we had to share, and it was stiflingly hot. "She never thinks of anyone but herself,” I muttered out loud. Just then, my mother came out and announced that she was taking us all for a drive so we could cool off in the van.
Read the passage.It was a cold, rainy day at my grandmother’s house. My aunt had insisted that we play outside to get some "fresh air.” She didn’t seem to care that there were huge mud puddles forming and I didn’t have any boots. She sent my cousins and me outside and sat at the kitchen table with my grandmother, their heads bent toward each other, talking in whispers. I was angry because my brand-new sneakers were getting dirty, and my mom was not going to be happy about that. I put the hood of my sweater up and huddled with my cousin under the tree.
Read the passage.The sun shone through the window, illuminating the powder-blue paint on the wall. The room was small but bright. My stomach was in knots. I needed somebody to talk to. I had never been to the guidance counselor’s office before. Her name was Ms. Tam, and she had just come to the school the year before. Although she was a total stranger to me, she had a kind face. Next to her long desk, she had two overstuffed armchairs and a little table with a lamp on it. She invited me to sit down in one of the armchairs. The chairs looked cozy and inviting—very different from the hard, uncomfortable chairs I had been expecting—and I felt my pulse returning to normal. This was a far cry from being called into the principal’s office when you are in trouble."So, what can I do for you?” Ms. Tam asked in a cheerful tone.
Read the excerpt from The Red Umbrella. Papá’s somber mood frightened me. "Did something happen?”"No, but after . . .”My heart thumped loudly in my ears. "Are they going to arrest you again?” I asked."No,” he said."Does it have something to do with that man who came by a little while ago?” I thought about the short man wearing a hat who’d stayed in the shadows of our front porch talking to Papá.
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